The Gettaway
by Firewalker711
Summary: In case you haven't figured it out yet, this is another side story taking place right after "The End III," in Season Four. Where Raven fights and defeats Trigon. This is dedicated to her, you might say. I think she would need a vacation after everything she endured. A time to break away, reflect, and most of all, release. Here I expose her heart in a way that not many have.
1. Chapter 1

As she drifted weightlessly through the clouds, Raven looked down at the crystal blue water, feeling the cool ocean spray covered her face. Inhaling the tranquil aroma from the surf, she continued to drift onward, watching as the sun began to set over the horizon. Free. . .At this moment she never felt so free and rejuvenated in her entire life.

Coming to a landing on the sandy white beach, Raven could feel the warm sand squish between her toes. For her this was a rare treat. Normally she wouldn't be caught dead without her boots on. But on this rare occasion, she just couldn't resist. Walking to the bamboo-made cabana, she approached a picnic table where her belongings still remained. Here she didn't have to worry about anybody taking her things. For there wasn't a single person within a mile in any direction. Unless she counted the hotel on the beach.  
Climbing on top of a picnic table, Raven sat crossed legged, and attempted to meditate. But instead found herself beginning to listen to the light surf of the beach. This caused her eyes to open, staring out at the beautiful scenery in front of her. And to think. . .up until a few days ago she almost refused this one-time ticket. Not feeling like she deserved it after all she'd put her friends through. After all, they almost died because of her. And the world would've been lost to her demonic father, Trigon who'd used her as a portal to try and take over the earth. From the night of her 17th birthday, through the unexpected Tokyo trip, the strain of dealing with this burden was absolutely unbearable. Yet Raven fought diligently to suppress the pain that she truly felt. Afraid that too much of any emotion would send Trigon through her prematurely.  
But what made things even worse, was throughout all of this mayhem, Beastboy. . .Now Raven found herself lightly scoffing under her breath. Shaking her head, she sighed. Since the time she'd met him, Beastboy couldn't have picked a worser time to be so overbearing! It's almost like he turned the up the heat, and became completely obnoxious! And although normally tolerable, Raven found herself short of patience, irritable and in no mood for his stupid antics! It had her retaliating in a manner that was mean and very cruel. From giving him the cold shoulder, to actually smacking him a couple of times in Tokyo! Yet, in spite of the fact that he never said anything about that, Raven knew inside she'd gone too far.  
But what really done it for her, was after she finally faced her greatest fear, and defeated Trigon. Still dressed in white, Raven could recall hugging Robin out of sheer gratitude for believing in her, when she didn't believe in herself.  
Then almost like clockwork, came the overwhelming glomp from Beastboy.  
Still harboring that inner resentment, Raven found herself stiffening in his grasp, and irritably muttering, "_Quit it!_" In a tone that was sharp enough for him to quickly get the hint and let go. And as usual, he made like it was no big deal, and joked and played around as always.

That is until she walked in on him and Cyborg the following morning while they were cleaning up after their victory breakfast. At the sink washing dishes, Cyborg looked over at Beastboy, who was still scraping food off the plates,  
"Hey, B. Could you grab the remote and see what's on the tube? I'm kinda up to my armpits in bubbles. . ." Now he watched as Beastboy continued to scrape at the empty plate, until it actually gave off a sheen. "Yo!" Cyborg hollered, watching as he jumped to attention. Shaking his head Beastboy chuckled, and handed him the plate. "Sorry."  
At the same time, Robin who saw everything from the computer console, stood up and grabbed the remote.  
"I got it. . ." He muttered, turning on the plasma TV. Giving Beastboy a rather suspicious look, Cyborg asked, "Uh, B? Is something wrong?"  
"No, I'm cool." He said, trying to keep his chipper attitude. Seeing right through it, Cyborg smirked and replied, "Come on, Beastboy. This is _me_, you're talking to. So you might as well drop the front." Knowing his best friend read him like a book, his smile slowly began to disappear. Beginning to feel rather awkward, he sighed then whispered.  
"Call me crazy. . .but um. . .sometimes I think Raven hates my guts."  
For a minute Raven was so thrown off by his unexpected statement, that she found herself backing up against the wall. Choosing to remain unseen, she watched a surprised expression crossed over both their faces.  
"You're right. . .you _are_ crazy. And you should know better." Cyborg replied, wiping his hands on a dishcloth. Letting out a scoff, Beastboy snapped,  
"Oh, really? Then why does she always yell at me? Or treat me like dirt?"  
Now walking into the kitchen, Robin leaned up against the counter and folded his arms. "I don't know, man. Why don't you tell me?" Catching onto his hint, Beastboys eyes rolled with frustration. "Alright. I know I've been a little hyper, lately. . ."  
"Hyper? Dude. . .you been downright annoying, and almost impossible during the last few months. Especially around Raven. . . ." Cyborg bluntly replied, as he looked away. "I mean, we're _used_ to you." He playfully added, as Beastboy peered up at him out the corner of his eye. "But you should know better than to act all crazy around her, man. Especially with what she's been through."  
"But that's exactly why I done it. I mean, I was just trying to cheer her up, that's all. And of course, I went too far like I always do! But I just don't like seeing my friends hurt. Especially her." By then Raven found herself so overwhelmed by the grave sincerity of his words, that she didn't know where to put herself. But what made matters worse, was when Robin looked up and saw her standing there.  
For a minute, his eyes locked on hers. . .catching the startled, and somewhat troubled look on her face. It was in that second he made the decision not to give her away, as she quickly turned and walked out the room.

During this time, Raven never imagined what that he was really up too, and found herself rather taken back when she returned a few hours later to find the entire group waiting for her in the common room.  
Sensing that they were up to something, she looked each and every one of them in the eyes. "What?" she flatly asked.  
"Sit. . ." Cyborg playfully replied, patting the spot next to him. Raising an eyebrow with confusion, Raven muttered, "Ok. . ." As she sat down, she noticed that even Starfire had a serious expression, which now had her somewhat paranoid. "Alright. What's going on?" She asked with a clip of tension in her voice. "Who _died_?"  
That little comment broke the silence. As chuckles were heard throughout the room, Robin snickered and said, "Nobody. . .We've just been talking, is all. And we've come to an important decision." Raising an eyebrow, Raven cocked her head and asked rather sarcastically, "What? You're kicking me out?"  
Just as quickly, Cyborg replied with a dead serious expression, "_Yeah_, that's right!" As Raven's eyes widened, Beastboy chuckled and elbowed him.  
"_Dude_?!" Now snickering Cyborg smirked and said,  
"Well we are. . .aren't we?" Giving Raven a playful glance he replied, "I'm just messin with ya. . ." Sitting across from her Robin shook his head and said,  
"What he means is, that you could really use some time away from here. So all of us chipped in and got you this." He stated, now handing Raven what looked like a small billfold. Still rather apprehensive, she slowly reached out and it from him. Opening it up, her eyes widened to what she saw. "Whoa. . .This is a plane ticket. . ."  
"A round trip plane ticket. . ." Robin corrected, as she looked up at him in shock. "To the Caribbean. . ." Unable to contain her shock, her mouth literally fell open.  
"N-No way. . ."  
"_Way_. . ." Beastboy cooed with a proud grin on his face. "You're on your way to _Cancun_, baby! As in sandy beaches. . .peace and quiet." He hinted, as her head slowly began to shake.  
"B-But why?" Marveling at her, Cyborg replied,  
"Why? Because you've been through a lot Raven, and you need to break away from here. _Far_ away! So we booked you in a room on the beach, where you can relax and unwind for at least two weeks. . ." Looking up at her dear friends, Raven couldn't help but smile. "I-I don't know what to say. . ."  
This had Starfire sitting next to her until she draped an arm around her shoulders. Giving Raven a tight squeeze, she chipperly replied,  
"Say nothing, friend. Nobody deserves this more than you do. . ." Looking from her to the rest of them, Raven shyly muttered, "Thanks. . ."  
Before she could say anything further, Starfire grabbed her by the arm. "Come dear friend! We must make with the haste to get you on your way! I shall help you pack!"  
As Starfire literally jerked her off the sofa, Raven knew just that alone would be an adventure!

In no time at all, she was at the airport getting ready to board on a huge jetliner. As she said goodbye to her friends, it occurred to Raven that this would be the first time in nearly five years that she'd be away from them, and on her own. The more she thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her. Maybe. . .the solitude was precisely what she needed. . .or was it?

To be continued. . .


	2. Chapter 2

After two airport stops, and twelve hours of jet lag, Raven finally arrived at the hotel.  
As Robin had stated, her reservation was accepted, and she was given the key to her room. Dropping her bags to the floor, she could only marvel at her lovely hotel suite. Completely impressed by how fancy it really was. It even had a kitchen and a mini bar packed with wrapped complimentary cookies and chocolates! Shaking her head, Raven thought of Beastboy, knowing he would've had a field day with all these sweets!  
But what caught her eye the most was the balcony overlook.

Quickly she unlocked the glass doors and stepped outside to find herself marveling at the crystal blue waters, and sandy white beaches of the Cancun coastline. With this type of breathtaking view, Raven knew it must've costed her friends a tiny fortune to accommodate her in such a way. And it touched her even more to know just how much they really cared. Walking back inside, one of the first things she attempted to do was unpack her suitcase.  
She could remember herself not getting very far, when she pulled out a bottle of bubble bath. . .Strange that she did not put it in there. Starfire must've snuck it in while helping her pack. Unscrewing the cap, Raven took in the smell of Jasmine, and smiled. Pleased that her best friend knew her so well, she decided that for the moment, there would be a slight change in plans!

Sinking deep into a tub of thick bubbles, Raven was completely lost in the unusual amount of pampering she was allowing herself to have. Blowing the suds off her hand, she lie back and closed her eyes. . .completely enrapt over the quiet and solitude that surrounded her.  
That is, until uninvited thoughts began to emerge from out of nowhere, in what seemed like a pattern of endless flashbacks, causing her to briefly sit up a bit. One by one, they began to flood into her head, causing her eyes to tightly shut. Now against her will, Raven found herself plagued by all she had endured, suppressed, and put up with over the past six months.  
From the first confrontation with Slade, and the revelation of her prophecy. To the inner torment she'd gone through, in having to deal with it. This included the constant nightmares and visits from her so called demon-father. . .to briefly seeing her mother, Arella. And if that weren't enough, the shock of seeing her world completely destroyed certainly was. Now for the first time since it all began, Raven could feel her heart beginning to ache. But that wasn't all. Suddenly the muscles of her body began to throb, and her head began to pulsate from the deep stress that now consumed her.  
By the time she emerged out of the bathroom, it felt like she were being crushed from the inside out, as every nerve in her body began to tremble. Through all the pain that was beginning to surface, it occurred to Raven that everything she'd withstood, all the grief she suppressed, the anger, and most of all the guilt and shame had finally come to an end. Now for the first time it hit her, that was finally over with and done, and the waves of her deep inner grief were finally _released_.  
This caused the wall over her emotions to crumble, until she could bear it no longer. Covering a hand over her mouth, she broke down and began to sob uncontrollably.  
Weakly falling on the edge of the bed, Raven grabbed a pillow and buried her face into it. Frightened over her own behavior, she fearfully waited in for something to blow up or explode over this emotional outburst. But when nothing happened, she realized it was because she had _nothing_ left! Her fierce battle with Trigon had taken just about every bit of energy she she didn't know it until now. Especially when waves of exhaustion also began to overtake her. So much so that she curled up into a fetal position. Still tightly holding onto her pillow, Raven tucked her knees to her chin, and fainted off into a deep sleep.  
For the rest of the night this is how she remained, and throughout most of the entire day. Although her mind wanted her to get up, her body was just too worn out, demanding her to rest. And just this once Raven was more than willing to comply.

When she finally did wake up, it was late that evening. Startled over the time, she managed to crawl out of the bed. Grabbing some tea she packed in her bag, Raven went into the kitchen an fixed her a small pot. Once it was done, she took her hot cup onto the balcony. Taking a few sips, she watched as the moon slowly began to rise over the shimmering water.  
Normally Raven would've found this sight beautiful. But her eyes were burning so badly, that she could barely keep them open. This was followed by a heavy yawn, and the crushing weight of fatigue that overtook her once again. Setting her cup down on the ledge, Raven slowly walked back inside until she'd crawled back into bed. Staring out at the opened doors, she concentrated, wanting to shut them with her powers. Although her dark energy did surround them, it felt like it took everything she had just to make them close.  
Letting out a hopeless sigh, she began to wonder if this effect would be permanent. But for the moment, she really didn't care. Within minutes of her head touching the pillow, Raven had once again drifted off into another deep sleep.

It wasn't until late the next morning that she finally did woke up feeling fresh, rejuvenated, and _very_ hungry! While waiting for room service, Raven got dressed, deciding to put on her dark blue bathing suit, and a pair of black sandals that she rarely wore. She was in the process of throwing her cloak over her shoulders when the doorbell rung. "Room service. . ." A voice hollered from the other side.  
Raven didn't move. But instead peered at the knob on the door. Eyes brightly glowing, the knob instantly blackened, clicked, and turned without any problem. Blowing out a sigh of relief, Raven knew that her powers, as well as her state of mind were completely back to normal. Inside she truly hoped that she would _never_ have an experience like this again!  
As of now. . .she would make the most of what she had left of this vacation. She owed it to herself, and to her friends.

Which now left her to this point, here, three days later. After doing her _minimal_ amount of shopping, and walking on the beach. . .It occurred to Raven that there was just so much she could do, when she had nobody to share it with. So the question was. . where would she go from here?

**Twelve hours later in the common room.**  
"_Raven_?" Robin replied, as he and Cyborg looked up from the chessboard.  
"Yo, girl? What are you doing back so early?" He asked as she approached the two  
of them. Thinking on it a second, she smiled and replied, "It's a long story."  
Now before they knew what she was doing, Raven took out her small duffle bag, and flipped it upside down, dumping a ton of cookies and chocolates all over the place.  
"What the?"  
"Compliments of the hotel. . ." she mocked, as Robin began to chuckle.  
"Well, alright!" Cyborg said, grabbing a handful of sweets. "Thanks. . ."  
"No problem. . ." She replied watching as he began to stuff his face. Getting up from the table, Robin asked, "So how was it, really?"  
"Absolutely beautiful. . ." She replied, as a pleased smile crossed over his face. "And the hotel was nice too."  
"So you _did_ have fun?" Not wanting to expose too many details, Raven looked him dead in the eyes and said, "Let's just say that the trip was one I'll _never_ forget. And I really did need to get away. . ."  
"Then why did you come back so early?" Giving him a timid shrug, she replied,  
"Because there's a fine line between solitude, and _loneliness_, Robin. I mean. It got to the point that when I saw a hot pink bathing suit, I thought of Starfire. And when I saw a kid _break_ something in a store, I thought of Beastboy. . ." she mocked, as he chuckled. "I guess. . .I just missed my friends. . ." Touched, Robin patted her on the back.  
"Well, I'm glad your back."  
"Yeah. Me too. . ."  
She wasn't too far down the hall, when a familiar voice hollered out,  
"_Raven_!" Closing her eyes, Raven waited for it. Seconds later gasping from Starfires bone-crushing hug. "I'm so glad to see you! You have arrived early!" she hollered, jumping up and down with excitement. "So where did you go? What did you see? What did you do?!"  
"Star." Raven panted, desperately trying to pull away. "You're _killing_ me."  
Feeling rather awkward, Starfire rubbed a hand on the back of her neck and replied,  
"Forgive me, friend. I've just missed you so much. . ." Feeling more than mutual, Raven suddenly remembered she'd forgotten about something. This caused her to reach into her bag, until she pulled out a huge bright pink purse, with sparkles all over it. Eyes widening with delight, Starfire gasped as Raven shyly handed it to her.  
"Ohhh! It's absolutely adorable! And it's in my favorite color! But why. . ."  
"For the bubble bath. . ." Raven implied, giving her a playful wink. Pleased that her friend appreciated her gesture that much, a proud smile crossed over her face.  
"I see."  
"Just give me a minute, and I'll tell you everything as soon as I unpack. . .If I can _breath_."

** Moments later. . .**  
Approaching Beastboys room, Raven noticed that the door was cracked open just enough for her to get a whiff of stale pizza, and month old socks. Slowly shaking her head she muttered,  
"I don't know how he could stand it. . ." Before she had a chance to knock, Beastboy looked up from his computer saw her standing there. "Well hey, girl! I'm surprised to see you're back already!"  
"Well. . .something come up." She shrugged, stepping in a little more.  
"Come in. . .Come in. . ." he said, tossing some junk to the side.  
"Do I have to?" she mocked, scrunching her nose rather disgustedly. Letting out a chuckle, he began to grow rather embarrassed.  
"Yeah. . .I know. My room ain't exactly up to par. . ."  
"Well. . .fortunately for you, I didn't come to inspect it. But I . . .wanted to give you something. . ." Giving her a rather shocked gaze, he grinned and asked,  
"Really? What?" Now she handed him a round metal tin. Looking through the plastic cover, his mouth fell open as an excited yelp escaped him.  
"Ahhh, dude! Chocolate covered macadamias! Their my like my favorite! How did you know?" Giving him a devious peer, she replied,  
"Not a hard guess. . .I saw the _nuts_ and thought of you."  
"Gee. . .thanks alot." he chuckled, as she cracked a smile. "But seriously, you really didn't have to do this.  
"I know. . .but. . .consider it a _peace offering_. . ." Realizing what she meant, a touched expression crossed over his face.  
"Ok. . .But only if you accept my apology. . ." Giving him a very serious gaze, Raven replied, "Likewise. . ." Smiling, Beastboy nodded,  
"It's a deal." Now ripping the plastic off the container, he opened it up to reveal a pile of the yummy confections. Holding the tin out, he asked, "Have some?" Rather cautiously Raven muttered, "Umm. . .I'll think I pass. . ."  
"Come on, girl. You know you want to get a little _nutty_ with me. . ." Thrown off from his crack, Raven shook her head, as he began to chuckle loudly. Grinning, she rolled her eyes and replied, "Alright. . .just one. . ."

**The end**


End file.
